Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/460

 436 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 1

help remembering how finely Mr Gray paints the pafTage of fuch an army, under a leader like Ras Michael —

Confufion in his van with flight combin'd, And Sorrow's faded form, and Solitude behind.

At Derdera we faw the church of St Michael,! the only building which, in favour of -his -own name, the Ras had fparcd. It ferved us then for a very convenient lodging, as i much rain had fallen in the night, and the priefls had all fled or been- murdered. We had this evening, when it was clear, feen the mountain of Samfeen. Our next ftage from Derdera was Karcagna, a fmall village near the banks of the Jemma, about two miles from Samfeen. We knew the king had refolved to burn it, and we expected to have feen the clouds of fmoke ariiing from its ruins, but all was per- fectly cool and clear, and this very much furprilcd us, con- fidering the time he had to do this, and the great punctu- ality and expedition with which his army ui'ed to execute orders of this kind. As we advanced, we had feen a great number of dead mules and horfes, and the hycenas fo bold as only to leave the carcafe for a moment, and fnarl a;> if they had regretted at feeing any of us pafs alive.

Since palling the Nile I found myfelf more than ordi- narily depreffed ; my fpirits were funk almofl to a degree of tlefpondency, and yet nothing had happened fince that pe- riod more than was expected before. This difagreeable fituation of mind continued at night while I was in bed. The rafhnefs and imprudence with which I had engaged myfelf in fo many dangers without any neceflity for fo do- ing ; the little pro fpect of my being ever able to extricate

myfelf